Diminished Value is the part of a wrecked vehicle’s pre-Loss resale value that has not been restored by the repair process. Any vehicle that has been in an accident immediately suffers an inherent reduction in value, even when repairs are performed correctly. This is because the courts recognize that any vehicle with an accident history will sell for less than it would have without any history of damage. Most consumers don’t want to buy a car that’s been in an accident, and if they do, they expect to get it for a much lower price.

DIMINISHED VALUE CLAIM

For reasons that must be obvious to the educated consumer, many insurance companies attempt to steer their policyholders away from collecting diminished value. In the same way that they attempt to increase their profits by steering customers to their preferred body shops, they also using misleading arguments to persuade customers that they don’t qualify for diminished value.

Commonly, an insurance company will offer a very low settlement number in the hopes that the consumer will accept without question, and without hiring a professional to help them interpret their offer. Many insurance companies have embraced a flawed formula meant to reduce the amount of money they pay out in Diminished Value claims. Don’t just take the insurance company’s word for it.